Labour MEPs vote for report calling for more family friendly policies

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Labour MEPs voted today for a report calling for national governments to adopt more family friendly policies and to fully implement the parental leave directive.

The report - which Conservative MEPs voted against - seeks to modernise parental leave provisions throughout the European Union, and calls on EU countries to introduce high-quality, accessible childcare facilities.

Siôn Simon MEP, Labour's European Parliament spokesperson for employment and social affairs, said:

"These measures will introduce an element of gender equality and fairness by introducing much needed facilities to allow for the better sharing of family tasks between men and women.

"This directive seeks to give women a much improved capacity to participate in the job market on more equal terms. The outdated view that bringing up children should be the sole responsibility of mothers is holding back progress for gender equality. The old rules were taking women out of the labour market and not letting men have the chance to be fathers.

"The full implementation of the parental leave directive will give millions of fathers across Europe the ability to spend quality time with their new children after birth."